Montreal-based baker Julien Roy spent the morning teaching locals how to create the perfect baguette at Le Centre de Ressources Familiales.
On Monday, October 26th, Le Centre de Ressources Familiales du Haut-Saint-Laurent welcomed Julien Roy of Montreal’s Le Pain Dans Les Voiles. The bakery, which donates flour to the centre three times a year, sent one of its chef to speak to locals about the art of baking. The talented young baker stood in the center of the kitchen, explaining to an eager audience how to make a simple baguette. “It’s so easy to make great bread at home—it is so much better than supermarket bread,’ he said. ‘It’s even faster than a bread machine. And better, too.” He backed up his statement by explaining that commercial bread is often loaded with sugar in order to help maintain its freshness. In less than two hours, he had prepared a batch of baguettes for the class, which he then cut up into slices to share. Of course, the bread was delicious—the very epitome of fresh.
Roy isn’t just any baker—the 25-year-old won the honour of second best baguette in the world at Paris’s Mondial du Pain in 2011. In 2013, the-then 23-year-old won best young baker at the same competition. With a humble smile, Roy explains that he never intended to be a baker. He was actually in university, working towards a degree in finance. After a few years, the Sainte-Hilaire native realized that a career in finance had lost its appeal. Instead he reconnected with his former boss, Martine Falardeau and started working for him as a baker. While it wasn’t his first time working in the kitchen (Roy had worked with Falardeau as a boy, since he was approximately 16 years of age), this time his passion took hold, and he decided to work in the bakery full-time.
Roy seems like a man that is truly thrilled about his career path. As for future plans, he explains lightly that he doesn’t like to make plans—that he prefers to see where the wind takes him, although he is very happy where he is. While he does spend quite a bit of time interacting with the media (the young baker has been featured on Radio-Canada more than once), he works full-time at the bakery, which is located near the Jean-Talon market. When asked whether he plans on opening his own bakery, he only smiles. “Maybe one day,” he says. “But I am very happy where I am.”
The event, which was organized by coordinator Annie Hébert, serves as an example of what Le Centre de Ressources Familiales brings to the Valley’s community. The Center, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in November, specialises in offering family services to the community.
